Railboards for forklifts with unique safety requirements

At Copperloy, we pride ourselves not only on the quality, durability, versatility and craftsmanship of all of our products and loading dock equipment, but also on our ability to design custom products to meet the unique needs, circumstances and specifications of our customers and clients.

When ALCOA needed a new railboard built for their unique needs, we were excited to assist them with solving their challenge.

Like many companies who depend upon railboards and the constant loading and unloading of supplies, equipment and products from railcars, ALCOA had difficulty finding appropriately sized equipment. The railboard they were using was 100″ wide. However, the opening of their railcars was 148″.

This left a 4-foot gap in width which created a huge safety concern–there would be nothing stopping a forklift from accidentally or mistakenly drifting farther forward, and potentially falling into the gap between the platform and the railcar itself.

Luckily, Copperloy’s in-house engineering and custom fabrication team was able to come up with a fresh solution to the problem. We added “wings” to the car end of the railboard which extended its overall width to 202″, more than double the original.

With the wing extensions on either side, once they came into contact with the side of the rail car, they would prevent the forklift from traveling any further and creating that dangerous situation described above. It was also important to ensure proper smooth operation of the railboard itself. The wings accomplished this by allowing the lip of the 100″ board itself to project 9″ safely into the railcar.

Our ability to create custom material handling equipment like this railboard for ALCOA is one of the many differentiating factors between Copperloy and the competition. With more than 60 years of experience, and with everything proudly designed and made in the USA, Copperloy is the leader for material handling and loading dock equipment with good reason.

Feel free to call our team directly at 800-321-4968 to find out more about how Copperloy can solve your difficult loading dock and material handling challenges.